One Of Our Own
by ToKillABlockingNerd
Summary: When a team member ends up in the morgue, the team vows revenge on their friends killer, but are sidelined by a surprising turn of events. Chapter 20 up
1. Chapter 1:It Begins

**6:32 AM, Ground Zero**

"Who's our vic?"

Stella's voice rang out loud and clear in the crisp New York-morning air.

"Jack Simone, 32. Killed in a street brawl about half an hour ago. Perp got away. Witnesses say he jumped into a black SUV and took off towards 5th Avenue." Flack replied calmly. "Where's Mac? He was supposed be on call 20 minutes ago but never showed up."

"He's probably at the office. If he doesn't show up in another 20 minutes or so then we'll call him and kick his ass for not being here."

Another one of the CSI's cars pulled up and Danny and Lindsay climbed out. Both carrying their kits and looking slightly disheveled. But Stella didn't even want to know why. Right now, she had a crime scene to process.

"See that over there? Drag marks. This wasn't where our vic was killed."

Lindsay followed the trail down the street and around the corner, expecting to find the location of the brawl, but what she found was not was she expected.

"Oh my gosh MAC!!!!!"


	2. Chapter 2:The end or the beginning?

**6:35 Ground Zero**

Stella still didn't want to believe it. When Lindsay yelled the whole team took off around the corner. There lay Mac, as helpless as Stella had ever seen him. Flack was the first to reach him. Mac appeared to be unconscious, but blood was blossoming over his torso and dripping onto the street.

Flack looked up at them from while taking Mac's pulse and his head shake told them everything.

Mac Taylor was dead.

Lindsay burst into tears and buried her head in Danny's shoulder, who was looking teary himself. Stella was just standing there, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe it. She WOULDN'T believe it. After the countless times Mac had saved her and the team, the one time he needed them, they weren't even around to help him. She couldn't take it anymore. She took off. She didn't know where she was running, she just ran.

Before she knew it, she was at Mac's apartment. She ran in, using her emergency key and just sat on his couch and cried and cried.

**12:40 Ground Zero**

None of the team really felt like working. They knew they had to find Mac's killer before he got away, but they just couldn't bring themselves to process Mac like he was a doll or something. Instead they watched the coroner pack up Mac's body and load it into the van to bring it back to the lab for autopsy. There's was one nasty bruise on his head, but otherwise not a mark on his body. If there was one thing Hawkes knew, it was that this would be the most important case of his life.

**1:00 CSI Crime Lab**

Sid was looking saldy over Mac's body when Stella walked in, her eyes red and puffy, but Sid took no notice. With out looking up he began talking to Stella.

"I found an injection point near his neck and this bruise was caused by a heavy metal object, like a frying pan. I sent a sample of his blood over to Trace but I jus can't bring myself to open him up. I just can't believe it happened"

Stella didn't respond. When Sid looked over at her he saw tears coursing silently over her cheeks. Without saying a word, Sid pulled her into a tight hug and promised never to let go.


	3. Chapter 3:Tangled in the Wood

**7:30 CSI Lab**

Danny was examining the surveillance tapes from the bank across from Ground Zero, He found the street brawl that killed Simone, and was able to pull up his attackers face. Danny searched AFIS and the perp came up as Antonio Riez, A known Tanglewood member. He then searched the tapes from a hotel across from where Mac was found. The camera caught Mac standing in front of the fence outside Ground Zero, but then an arm came across the screen, throwing a piece of material, possibly a blanket, over the camera. Danny froze the video when the arm came on, and saw a tattoo on the inner arm. He pulled it up and searched for a possible gang match. And what should come up, but Tanglewood.

Stella and Lindsay were in the break room, talking about Mac, when Danny burst in, breathless and bursting with news. He relayed the evidence he found and told them they had to find Antonio Riez and bring him in.

Flack took some of his men and went to track down Riez. They came back, half supporting a young Cuban man. He was brought into the interrogation room, and sang like a canary.

"The Tanglewood superiors received word that Detective Taylor and his team were planning a drug bust on our warehouse, so we staged a street brawl while some of our hitmen jumped Taylor and killed him." Riez told them.

"And? Then what?" Stella questioned.

"That's all I'm supposed to say."

_All he's SUPPOSED to say? I'm not liking this. _Stella thought.

"Who were the men that jumped Mac?"

Riez just sat there silently. Stella couldn't take it anymore. She stood up so fast she knocked her chair backwards. She began walking towards the door but whipped around and slapped Riez across the face.

**8:00am CSI Autopsy Lab.**

_Oh Mac, who did this to you? _Stella wondered

Stella was in the lab, leaning over Mac's body, her tears falling onto his bare chest.

"Mac, I know you can't hear me, but I have to tell you something. I love you. I never told it to your face. Now that you're gone it just seems……."

Stella stopped and a look appeared on her face like she'd just seen a ghost. She could have sworn Mac's eyelids had flickered.

_You're just imagining it. Your mind wants you to see Mac alive, so it seems like he is. Get out of there before you do something drastic._

But again, she thought she saw Mac's eyelids flicker again. She couldn't take it and ran right out.

_Calm down Stella, you just need to relax, go to the breakroom and get some coffee. You're going to need your strength to find this killer soon. _Stella told herself.


	4. Chapter 4:Awake

**9:00 CSI Lab**

When Stella reached the breakroom, she stopped just outside the door, looking in at Danny and Lindsay together talking on the couch. Lindsay was snuggled up against Danny and they were looking right into each others eyes.

_That could have been me and Mac. _Stella thought sadly.

She put on a brave face and stepped into the breakroom. Danny and Lindsay pulled apart like they had just been shocked. Stella ignored this fact and began talking like she hadn't walked in on anything.

"So, any new breaks in the case?"

"Nope. Sid is still putting off the autopsy. By the time he even starts that we'll all be dead."

**9:15 CSI Autopsy Lab**

Sid didn't want to do the autopsy by himself so he called in Hawkes just to be with him when he did it.

"Cutting into abdomen" He said into his mike.

"Don't even think about it." Came a weak, scratchy voice that didn't belong to either of the M.E's.

Sid dropped the scalpel in surprise at who was talking and Hawkes let out a yell of shock that Stella heard in the breakroom.

"MAC???"

"You were confirmed dead at the scene!!!!! How in the-"Sid exclaimed "How is that possible that your up and talking??"

**9:20 Breakroom**

Danny and Lindsay were getting coffee in the break room when a lab messenger walked in with Mac's blood analysis.

"Coagulated fish oil? I didn't know there was even such a thing!" Danny exclaimed.

"Oh, trust me, there is. It's rare and extremely difficult to coagulate, but when done right and injected into the bloodstream, it can thicken the blood until the heart can't take it ands stops." Lindsay replied. "Let's bring this over to Sid. I think we just discovered the COD."

**9:30 Autopsy Lab**

When Danny and Lindsay entered the autopsy lab, they were looking down at the blood trace samples and didn't notice the odd site that awaited them.

Mac, who was supposedly dead, was sitting up on the table and discussing what happened with Hawkes and Sid.

Finally looking up, Danny dropped the papers he had been holding and caught Lindsay, who had fainted at the sight.

"What in the….? Mac? Do NOT tell me this is a hallucination. "

"It's not. We don't know what happened yet, but Mac is 100 percent alive." Hawkes told Danny calmly. "C'mon, lets get Lindsay on a couch.

For the next 15 minutes, various members of the lab heard the news and came to see the 'dead man walking'. Pretty soon everybody except Stella had seen Mac and she was the person he wanted to see the most.


	5. Chapter 5:A Failed Attempt

**9:45 CSI Lab**

"All I remember is standing at the fence, then feeling a prick on my neck and everything went dark" Mac was telling the CSI's.

"So you didn't see a face?" Danny inquired.

"No. So what did Riez say? Hawkes told me it was Tanglewood, but I haven't heard anything since"

"He said they heard you were planning a drug bust on their warehouse, so they staged a street brawl, and got some of their hitmen to jump you." Stella had gotten over her initial shock of seeing Mac alive and well, and was trying to hold back the emotions that had been just beneath the surface, threatening to spill, since 6:00 that morning."When they jumped you, they injected coagulated fish oil into your neck, assuming it was enough to kill you, but all it did was slow down the blood flow enough to make a pulse undetectable."

Everybody paused, nobody sure exactly what to say. Even Sid, who always had something to say, was quiet.

"Wait a second, what if the gang didn't actually want to kill Mac? What if they only wanted him out of commission long enough to do something else? Mac was planning a drug bust, so they attacked him, hitting him over the head with a saucepan. Do you remember the location of that warehouse Mac?" Lindsay realised.

"No, now that you mention it, I don't remember anything about that case, or any case since then." Mac told them.

"So by attacking him, they made him forget about the bust, and distracted us from finishing it. This whole thing was a distraction!"

"That's it, we gotta find this warehouse. These guys are planning to smuggle millions of dollars of drugs out of New York and we have to stop them" Flack said forcefully. "Let's move."

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If there's anything that needs clearing up, just review and let me know. Thanks for the reviews so far!!! I'm new to this whole fanfic thing. 


	6. Chapter 6:Staten Island

**11:00am Ground Zero**

When Lindsay arrived at the crime scene, Stella had already been there for an hour, processing.

"Hey Linds. K, So far Mac's story checks out. I found traces of coagulated fish oil where Mac was found, and I also found this."

Stella held up an evidence bag, containing a slip of paper. Lindsay took it from her and read the cut off bit of typing.

"This looks like it could be from an address book." Lindsay told Stella.

"Or an email. I think it could be part of the location of the drugs. These guys were so sure of themselves. They got careless."

Just then, Stella's phone rang. She answered it and put it on speaker so Lindsay could hear.

"Bonasera"

"Hey, Stella. It's Mac. You need to get back here. I think I just found something."

**11:30 CSI Crime Lab**

**"**I found trace on my clothing from the alley. I checked and it came back as Hydrastis canadensis. It's a very rare flower that only grows near coastal areas. The hitmen must have been at a beach before they jumped me. You know what this means, don't you?" Mac told the team.

"They're getting the drugs out of the city by boat." Danny pondered.

"To be specific, they're taking a boat out of Staten Island. I wrote it down in the Tanglewood case files. While I was planning the bust, I apparently found a slip of paper that held the words '13:00 Staten Island, 9Mil'. I'm positive that means at 1 o'clock, they're leaving Staten Island with 9 million dollars of drugs."

"Is this the paper you found?" Stella asked Mac, holding up the piece of paper she found at the scene.

"As a matter of fact, I believe it is. We gotta get over there, we only have an hour and a half to get SWAT and get down there. Let's move" Mac commanded the team.

* * *

**I do realize I'm working rather fast, but my life is ****outta ****wack ****and ****I**** escape into the world of fantasy to clear my head. It works you should try it sometime. I'm not sure about where that coastal flower grows so ****i**** made up a place. Hope it ****doesnt**** confuse you **


	7. Chapter 7:Something's Happening

**10:15 CSI Lab**

Stella was strapping on a Kevlar vest in the equipment room of the CSI lab when Mac walked in. Although he was now dressed in a spare suit he kept in his office, Stella couldn't ignore the fact that he had been naked under the thin thermal blanket when she went to say goodbye.

_Too bad I was too messed up to notice._ Stella said to herself

Pushing these thoughts into the back of her mind, she continued strapping on the bulletproof vest.

"Stella, if you don't want to go with Flack on this bust you can stay here and process the drugs afterwards with Lindsay." Mac told her.

"Mac, we've been through this. I'm going. I need to go on one of these things sooner or later and I'd rather choose sooner. Why aren't you coming? I thought you of all people would want to bring thses guys down." Stella asked him.

"I-"

Mac was about to reply when Flack walked in, already dressed in his vest and strapping extra ammo onto his belt, and interrupted him.

"Hey Mac, why aren't you putting on the Kevlar and coming with us? I thought you of all people would want to bring these guys down."

Stella couldn't help but smirk at Mac while he answered.

"As I was just about to tell Stella, less than 4 hours ago, I 'died' and came back to life. I have a mild moderate concussion and the blood is running through my veins and arteries five times too slow. I don't think I'm in any condition to go on a drug bust."

"Well if your not in any condition to go busting down warehouses than your not in any condition to be at work. Go home and get some rest/ Don't feel too bad about missing out on the fun." Stella laughed as she walked out of the equipment room.

Mac watched her as she pulled her hair into a elastic while walking down the hallway. Stella had always been a complex person, but Mac had seen more emotions out of her in the last 4 hours than he'd seen in all their years of working together.

_She's right. Go home, get some sleep, and you'll be ready to process tomorrow._ Mac told himself.

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The sun was at it's highest point in the sky when Stella, Flack, and several SWAT teams pulled up to a ramshackled warehouse on the coast of Staten Island. They climbed out of the car, drew their guns and followed the SWAT teams as they stormed the warehouse and discovered…….

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Back at the lab, Lindsay was walking down the hallway, checking over a cold case folder she had been working on, when she heard Mac's cell phone ringing in his office.

_That's weird, I thought Mac went home for the day._ Lindsay thought

Just to make sure, she knocked and walked in. There was Mac's phone, sitting on his desk, buzzing away, but Mac was nowhere in sight. Lindsay walked over to the window, and saw his car, parked at the side of the street, which meant Mac was still in the building, or at least close by.

Lindsay went asking around the lab, seeing if anybody had seen him, but nobody had. About 10 minutes later, her phone began beeping. Lindsay grabbed it, flipped it open and asked

"Mac?"

"Nope it's Stella. We arrived at the warehouse, but nobody was there! Something is going on here."

"Yeah there definitely is. Mac's missing."

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There. a longer chapter for you guys who have stuck with this story so far. Thanks for the reveiws! I'm already working on chapter 8!


	8. Chapter 8: Into the Blue

When Stella walked into the CSI lab it was much like she was storming the warehouse again. Lindsay whipped around when she heard the door whoosh open. Stella walked (actually more like stomped) in.

"How can he go missing in a lab full of people?" She demanded.

"I don't know! The last time anybody saw him was right after the meeting this morning!" Lindsay exclaimed.

"No." Stella whispered, almost to herself.

"What?"

"The last time somebody saw him was down in the equipment room. Me and Flack left him in the equipment room downstairs."

"We need to get the lab's security tapes. We need to find Mac. And quick. The Tanglewoods are planning something and Mac's involved." Lindsay said gravely.

CSINYCSINYCSINYCSINY

Down in the A/V lab, Stella, Danny Lindsay and Adam were all watching a different view of the building. Flack and his boys were searching the entire premises to make sure Mac wasn't anywhere in sight,

"Look1 There he is! Or was, I guess." Adam said excitedly.

"So let me get this straight. The Tanglewoods actually wanted to kill Mac the first time, right?" Danny asked.

"Yep" Stella answered.

"And when that didn't work, they set up a fake case to distract us and get us away from the lab?"

"Yeah. They planted evidence at the scene, and somehow got a case folder into the lab. Then when we were gone 'drug busting', they had their chance to grab Mac. But why would they want him in the first place?"

"That's why we're here," Lindsay told them. "OK, so in this tape, Mac's walking across the lobby to go outside."

"So he was heading home, like Stella told him to, but then what happened? He obviously didn't leave, his car is still here, and if he walked somewhere he'd be back by now. And his PDA is still here." Danny pointed out.

"Lindsay, go check Mac's phone, maybe somebody called him about something that could get him out of the building." Stella commanded.

CSINYCSINYCSINYCSINY

When Lindsay got back with Mac's phone, Stella and Danny were checking out the outdoor surveillance videos from the front of the lab.

"Hey guys, I got something on Mac's phone. Somebody called him at 1:15. What time did he appear on the tape?"

"1:20. Go trace that call. Find out who it was from." Stella told the younger CSI.

"Already did. And guess who. Antonio Riez!" Lindsay replied.

"How did he, of all people, get Mac outside the lab?"

"Hey guys, I got something:"

Danny voice made both girls jump. They'd almost forgotten he was there,

"Check this out. Here's Mac coming out of the building, and here's…….."

Danny trailed off as he played the tape and they watched. Like he said, Mac came out of the building and headed for his car, but halfway there, he was intercepted by two men. They stopped him and appeared to be talking. They then escorted him away and into a dark blue van sitting thirty feet away. As they roughly pushed him inside and climbed in themselves, Stella noticed a glint coming from one of the men.

"Whoa, freeze that last part and pull it up."

Danny did as he was told, pulling up the image and sharpening it. The computer screen displayed a revolver and an arm inked with a tattoo that could only belong to a certain group of people

Woo! I'm so happy I got this chapter done. I wrote this and chapter 9 at 3am so I'm hoping they aren't completely awful. Please R&R!!!


	9. Chapter 9:A Phone Call

Mac blinked. He wasn't exactly sure where he was. He was surrounded by pitch blackness. It took him a second to realize he was sitting in the dark. He tried to get up, but found his limbs weren't working. It took him another second to realize he was tied up. Unable to move or see, he used his other senses to explore his predicament. He smelled something familiar, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He was trying to loosen the bonds that held him tight when he heard a door squeak open and a light turned on. Wincing at the sudden brightness, Mac watched two burly, unshaven men enter the room. Now, finally able to see, Mac took in his surroundings. No wonder he smelled something familiar, he was being held hostage in his own apartment!!!!

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Danny and Stella were in the A/V lab when Flack walked in, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Mac had only been missing two hours and the team was already worn out from the tumultuous events of the day.

"Has _anybody_ found _anything _yet?" He asked.

"Well, Lindsay's been over the front of the lab already and any footprints have been scuffed away. She didn't find tire tracks, obviously from the van pealing away. We matched them to a 1997 Chevrolet. We put out a warning on the media already. Now we're waiting for a tip or a—"

Stella was cut off by the ringing of the lab's landline. The number on the caller ID looked vaguely familiar, like Stella had seen it before. Confused, she hit the speakerphone button and the CSI's listened as she said:

"Bonasera."

"Well, Ms Bonasera, just the person I was hoping to talk to."

"Who is this?" Stella asked, confused.

"Hmm….that's no important right now, is it? What's important right now is the visitor we have. You might know him."

"Stella?" Mac's voice came through weak and very shaky.

"Mac?! Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, but your dear detective might not be okay after we get through with him."

At these words, the CSI's heard a thump, and a muffled 'oompf' from Mac. Stella bit her lip to keep herself from screaming hell at these guys.

"Stella?" Mac's voice came through hurriedly this time. "I'm in my—"

His words were cut off by the loud crack of a gunshot and a piercing scream from Stella just before the line went dead.

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Thanks for reading! Chapter 10 should be up soon but the more reviews I get the faster I post!!


	10. Chapter 10:He's there

Mac still hadn't quite recovered from the shock of the phone call. He had felt a rush of relief at the sound of Stella's voice but his relief had been immediately replaced by fear at the man's words. Already weak from the beating the men gave him, his ribs hurt where the second man kicked him. But his head hurt more where the same foot had connected with his temple. He was knocked briefly unconscious, and woke up again in the dark, surprisingly soaked in blood.

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Back at the lab, Lindsay was walking down the hallway when she caught a glimpse of Danny staring blankly out the window into the street below. Creeping up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his midsection. Caught by surprise, he whirled around, breaking free of her grasp.

"Montana! You scared me! What are you doing?!" He cried.

"I'm on my way to the meeting Stella called. I thought you knew about that."

"No, as a matter of fact, I didn't. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was….distracted." Lindsay replied softly, gazing into Danny's deep brown eyes.

And right in the middle of the confusion and suspense that was their day, Danny kissed her.

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A few minutes later Danny and Lindsay walked into Stella's meeting arm in arm. She had been reading the case file, but when they entered she looked up and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Choosing to ignore it, she began to speak.

"As you all know, fifteen minutes ago we received a call from Mac and his captors that ended in a gunshot. Based on background noises, we confirmed there were two men present, plus Mac. While Adam was attempting to trace it, I recognized the number as Mac's apartment number. We need to assemble a team and get down there. Chances are Mac is injured, and these men are armed and dangerous."

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It took a surprisingly short amount of time to gather SWAT and get down to Mac's apartment. This time it was Danny and Stella busting through doors. Stella quietly gave the signal, and Danny came bursting through everybody and kicked down the door. Stella was the fist one inside and the first one to yell;

"NYPD!"

The group split up, checking each room, and met back by the door.

"All clear over here!" Danny yelled from the hallway.

"Same in here! They moved him! They knew we were coming and they _moved_ him! Now we're back to square one!" Stella said bitterly.

"Maybe not!" Danny shouted back, now from the living room, "We got some blood, fibers, and maybe a couple hairs in here!"

Looking around, Stella noticed a half-drunken glass of whiskey sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Half-smiling, she went and picked it up, and saw visible skin (AKA DNA) on the rim. Maybe they weren't back to square one after all.

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Lol i wrote this one in my head when I was in the shower. Thanks to smileysmell, GarySiniseFan, fruitbat00, kaidii, Maja16, lyner, TatianaMik, siteyoursource and shawdoo for the reviews!!keep'em coming please!! Chapter 11 should be up soon. I'm already half-way done it. the funny thing about this story is it was supposed to end in chapter 5, but i just got the best idea and had to keep on woring on it!!


	11. Chapter 11:Someone Familiar

"So what can you tell me?" Danny asked Lindsay as he walked into the DNA lab.

"Well the blood was definitely Mac's, but the hairs you found came back as Tyler Harrison. In the system for 2nd degree murder, sexual assault and abduction. A known Tanglewood member." Lindsay read off the computer screen.

"OK good to know. And the DNA from the glass?"

"Joel Gulansky. In the system for 3 counts of 1st degree murder." Lindsay told him.

"Tanglewood?"

"But of course. Mac must have done something to offend these guys. Why else would they want him so badly?"

"I think I might have that answer," came a third voice. Stella walked into the room holding an evidence bag. "I just finished processing Mac's place and I found this."

She held the evidence bag. A single white envelope marked with the words 'CSI lab' was now visible.

"Didn't open it yet. I wanted to bring it back here first."

Danny pulled on a pair of gloves and took the bag from Stella and removed the envelope. Carefully, so not to destroy any possible DNA, and ripped it open. It was short and to the point.

_You'll never find him. At least, you won't find him alive. Give up. Get on with your lives and just forget about him. He's not worth it._

Danny looked up from the paper in time to see Stella's face go deathly white as she crumpled on the floor.

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Mac felt the odd sensation of falling, and then snapped out of his delirium when he made contact with a cold stone floor. He didn't move. He hardly breathed until he was sure he was alone in the room. Lifting his head, he looked around. He barely moved an inch before he noticed a flash of green in front of the eyes. Lasers. Looking around more, he noticed there were about 10 of them, crisscrossing around the room. He immediately thought back to Drew Bedford, and how he had held Mac hostage with lasers and a gun pointing at his head.

It was then he noticed the gun near the door, pointing at him.

_No. It's not Drew. He's not in Tanglewood. He's in jail. There's no way this is him._

In answer to his thoughts, the door opened and a man walked in.

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Flack had been walking by when he saw Stella collapse. Rushing in, he helped Danny carry her into the break room and onto the couch. The walked back to the DNA lab while Lindsay tried to awaken Stella with gentle slaps to the face. Danny briefed Flack on the note, and Flack briefed Danny on some news that made Danny stumble in shock.

"WHAT???!!!!"

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So a basically short chapter, but I'm just gearing up for a major plot twist. Sorry for the delay! My life has been soooo busy lately with basketball, volleyball, badminton, and drama starting again. Thanks to the reviewers! Keep 'em coming please!


	12. Chapter 12:News and Pain

"What do you mean Drew Bedford escaped?!" Danny asked furiously.

"I mean exactly that! Nobody knows how he got out of prison in Chicago, but we think he's coming back here." Flack answered, almost as angrily.

"But this might not have anything to do with Mac's kidnapping right? I mean Drew's not in Tanglewood, he _couldn't_ have done this!"

That's where this gets complicated. Prison records confirm that Drew had several visitors repeatedly. Tyler Harrison, Joel Gulansky, and Antonio Riez."

"We gotta tell Stella."

----------------

Mac stared in shock at the face of his best friend-turned-enemy, Drew looked back with a calm yet angry expression. He was the first to speak.

"So, Mac. Long time no see. How's Stella these days? Still knocking up every guy she meets?"

"Don't you dare say a word about Stella!" Mac shot back.

"Well, what's there to say about her? She's a slut who trusts too easily and lies too much."

Drew had gone too far this time. Mac hit him right between the eyes with a well-aimed spit wad. Drew calmly wiped it off, and angrily kicked Mac right between the shoulder blades. Crouching down next to the winded CSI, Drew grabbed one of Mac's bound arms and thrust it upwards with a sickening crack. White-hot pain shot down his arm, and he caught sight of Drew's smiling face right before he blacked out.

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When Danny reached the break room again, Stella was rather pale, but sitting up and sipping on a glass of water. Lindsay was beside her, rubbing her back, although looking terrified herself.

Danny pulled a up a chair, and sat across from the two female CSI's. Taking a deep breath, he relayed the information that Flack had told him.

Stella went an even more deathly white, and Danny was afraid she might faint again, when she spoke.

"So Drew probably has Mac, Mac probably has a gunshot wound, and what do we have?"

Danny and Lindsay exchanged worried glances before Lindsay replied.

"A couple hairs, some names, and a hell of a lot of hope."

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Within fifteen minutes, most of the building knew that Drew had escaped, and most of the building included Sid and Adam, who came barging into Stella's office.

"So what's going on with this?" Adam asked. He hadn't been involved with the original case, so he was slightly confused.

Stella told him and Sid the details of both the original case and the kidnapping.

_Whoa. Poor Mac. _Adam thought._ Poor Stella too. If Mac doesn't make it through this, I doubt she will either._

The team sat in silence until the ringing of Stella's phone broke it. Pulling it off her hip, she flipped it open and pressed TALK

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When Mac slowly and groggily woke up, he became aware of the immense amount of pain he was in. He could feel the point on his leg where the bullet entered, but judging from the amount of bleeding, it wasn't life-threatening or even serious. The pain in his arm was still raging, but slowly fading to a numb throb. But when Drew put a gun to his head and a phone to his ear, it just made the pain all the worse.

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So, I hope your enjoying the story so far. MAJOR plot twist in this chapter. I'm hoping to get Chapter 13 up soon. Keep the reviews coming, they motivate me!


	13. Chapter 13:Not Her Too

So

**So. I am soooooo sorry for the ridiculously long wait for such a ridiculously short and basically uneventful chapter. I've been soooo busy with exams and sports and life. Sorry readers (AKA shawdoo) had to take out the plot twist so that I can actually continue with the story.**

--

"Bonasera."

Stella's greeting was met by silence on the other end.

"Bonasera" She said with a little more urgency. She finally had enough and flipped her phone shut.

--

"What's wrong Mac? Couldn't tell your little girlfriend you hated her? You aren't man enough to actually suck up your feelings to protect someone else? Well, since you couldn't tell Miss Stella over the phone, I guess we'll have to get her in here too so you can just tell her face to face." Drew said.

A rush of rage shot through Mac, and if it wasn't for a broken arm and mangled leg, he probably would have killed Drew with his hands right then and there. He resorted to a look that made even Drew's 'henchman' that had been guarding the door flinch. Drew made a quick escape out the door, leaving Mac in total silence.

Mac was seeing red. This creep, this _madman,_ was going out, and he was going to get Stella and bring her back to this hell.

No. The team wouldn't let it happen. _Mac_ wouldn't let it happen. He resolved to do whatever he could to keep Stella away from this place, away from harm and, away from Drew

That thought almost made Mac wish that Drew would actually get Stella and bring her her. Keeping her away from this place would also mean keeping her away from him. The flurry of emotions that passed through him right then and there almost made him pass out again. He might never see Stella's smile again, never hear her laugh, won't ever be there to comfort her again. All of this just hardened his resolve to get out of this hell hole alive.

--

**OMG that was soooo short. My next chapter will be up by the end of next week (hopefully) and it'll be about 10x longer than this one if all goes well. Once again, sorry for the wait and the shortness. I just wanted less action in this one, more emotion. I thought I needed more of that.**

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14:Found?

**Well, not much for me to say here, just enjoy!!**

Danny walked into Stella's office to find her laying on the couch, practically passed out from lack of sleep with tear tracks still visible on her smooth cheeks.

"Stella" Danny said softly. When she didn't respond, he tiptoed over to her and gently shook her.

She opened her bloodshot, tired eyes. It took her a second to remember where she was and why a strange man was standing over her. Then it all hit her again. Mac was missing. Her ex-boyfriend had him, and he was probably dying, if not dead already. She wished she could just go back to sleep and forget this mess.

"Stella, you should go home and get some sleep. It's almost three in the morning." Danny interrupted her train of thought.

"Then why are you still here?" Stella asked wearily.

"Apartment renovation. I'm staying here till it's done."

Danny left, leaving Stella alone with her thoughts again. To distract herself from…well….herself, she gathered her purse, keys and phone. She tried turning it on, but her efforts were met by a blank screen.

_Great. Just perfect. A dead phone. That really caps off the day amazingly._

After gathering her things, she stepped outside into the cool night air. It soothed her tired body, and dried what was leftover of the tears on her cheeks.

Her moment of peace was broken by a wet cloth appearing over her nose and mouth.

Desperately trying to remember her training, she struggled not to breathe in the chloroform and forced her elbow back into her attacker's stomach.

Whipping around, she pulled out her piece and held the barrel in the shocked face of Drew Bedford.

--

Danny and Lindsay were watching Stella interrogate Drew from the observation room. He wasn't giving any answers, and so far looked like he never would. Stella got fed up and stormed out of the room, leaving Drew alone, looking slightly smug.

'He's not talking." Danny and Lindsay had been so intent on watching Drew they didn't notice that Stella had entered the room.

Lindsay couldn't help but notice the haunted look in Stella's eyes. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it. After Frankie, Stella walked around like a ghost for several days.

"Stel, you sure your okay?" She asked her.

"Lindsay's question was greeted with a single word.

"No."

They stood in silence, watching the one of the only people in the world who knew where their friend and boss was.

Flack noticed them all staring through the window and stuck his head in the door. He braced himself. Not wanting to repeat what he had just heard.

"Guys."

All three of the CSI's jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned to face him.

"A man matching Mac's description has been found."

"Where?!" They all said, practically in unison.

"In the morgue."

**Not quite 10x longer than the previous chapter, but still longer. **

**This little button down here is lonely ******** please click it. **


	15. Chapter 15:In The Morgue

Whew

**Whew! Happy to finally get this chapter done. It's a gateway to…well basically the end of the story ******** a couple more chapter, anywhere from 3-5, depends on how it goes. Anyhow, this is another short chapter, but I'm gearing up for a few long ones. ****Bear with me and don't get mad because of the shortness. ****enjoy!**

Stella and Lindsay were together in the breakroom, now an ohso common meeting ground, catching up on some much needed girl time. They weren't talking. Just sitting there; thinking. They were waiting for the newbie coroner to finish the autopsy on 'Mac'. Just the thought of Mac lying on the cold table in that dark, gloomy morgue again just wanted to make Stella puke. She was getting sick of this suspense. She wanted to know right now where Mac was and if he was alive or not. If he made it out of this alive, she would kill him for putting her through this.

Noticing the pained, tired look on Stella's face, Lindsay asked her for the second time that day, "Are you OK?"

But this time Stella didn't get a chance to answer. A lab messenger poked his head in the door and told them that the John Doe was ready for identification.

The girls reluctantly rose from their seats, and began the seemingly endless trip down to the morgue.

--

Hawkes and Danny were waiting for them outside of the cold, dank room. Danny gave Lindsay an encouraging look and together the team walked into the morgue.

When the newbie M.E opened the freezer, the CSI's looked into the face of the man on the table, and what they saw sent Lindsay back onto Danny's shoulder and Stella to the floor in tears.

**Don't hurt me ******** this will all be cleared up in the next chapter. But only if you review ******** mwahaha I feel so evil**


	16. Chapter 16:Thoughts

**As promised, here is the next chapter. Hopefully it'll make (at least) some stuff clearer. This chapter isn't very long, but it's sooo much longer than the previous ones.**

All that could be heard in the silent morgue was the sound of Stella's crying.

Wait, no scratch that, the M.E thought. She's not crying. She's…….laughing?

Through her hysterical laughing, the M.E thought he could hear some indistinguishable words. Once she calmed down enough, She forced out a few words, with tears of laughter running down her cheeks.

"That's not him."

--

In the interrogation room, Drew was alone with his thoughts. Stella had left in such a huff that she forget to bring him to the holding cell.

_She hasn't changed one bit._ He thought, laughingly.

He wondered what his little Mac man was doing right now. On his way out, Drew had whispered to his accomplice to have his fun with him, just keep him alive until he returned with Ms Bonasera. Well, it was obvious he wouldn't be returning anytime soon, but as long as Riez kept Mac alive for now, all was well. At least for me, Drew thought smugly.

--

When Mac awoke, he was aware of the intense pain. He had spent the last two hours under the unbearable torture of Antonio Riez. The whole works. A ten minute long beating with a baseball, although Riez had avoided his head, electric shock, scalding water poured over his chest, all ending with one final kick to the temple, sending him spinning once again, into the blackness. As he struggled to overcome the pain that was threatening to overtake his very mind, Mac became aware of another presence in the room. Turning his head as best he could and squinting through the black eye that the kick had caused, he could barely make out one of the men from when he was bound in his apartment. He dug into his muddled mind, trying to recall the man's name.

_Something like Ty. Tyren, Tye, Ty…_

Tyler!! That was the name. Tyler Harrison!

As he mentally patted himself on the back for remembering that fact, he also remembered another horrible fact. Drew had gone out to get Stella. Frantically glancing about the small, windowless, dirt-covered room, he was relieved to find…nobody. Nobody else occupied the room except for himself and Harrison.

_But Drew could be on his way back here right now with Stella._

This particular thought sent many a mental image racing through his head. All of them horrible. He managed to push those aside and used his good arm in an attempt to loosen the bonds that held his hands and feet in a death grip. Rushes of pain echoed from his multiple bruises, burns and cuts all over his body. But he had to keep Stella safe. He had to get out of here and get her away from Drew.

**I feel **_**sooooo**_** bad for putting poor Mac through this torture. It was too hard to describe the details of the torture, so I summed it up. Too painful. But please review!! I finally got over my case of writer's block that kept me from updating for almost 2 ½ months, so now I'm back on track and ready to roar through to the finish!!**


	17. Chapter 17:Company

**K I guess I forgot this before so….**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine 'cept for the characters I made up.**

When Mac awoke from one of his frequent losses of consciousness, everything seemed surprisingly clear. He was finally able to take in the full extent of the situation. Looking around the dark, damp room, he noticed the graying walls, with a large wet patch slowly soaking them, the off-white carpeting, but most of all, he noticed that the Harrison guy had left the room.

Suddenly the door opened, and another dark-haired man was thrust into the room. He watched this seemingly familiar man get his bearings, the watched him run over to a body on the floor that Mac hadn't noticed before.

_Wait a second……….that's not a body……….that's me!!_

No wonder everything seemed clearer. He wasn't himself. Well, he was _himself_, just not in his own body.

He watched this new man administering CPR to Mac's body. But no matter how much Mac moved, he just couldn't get a glimpse of the man's face.

Then, after a couple agonizingly long minutes, Mac snapped back into his body and finally got a good look at this new man's face.

_No._

_No it can't be. Not him. He shouldn't have to go through this. Anybody but him._

--

When Danny saw Stella in the hallway, her heels clacking to hell and back as always, he rushed out the glass door and fell into step with her.

"Hey Stel, Flack says that Drew ready to be questioned again."

"When was he ever unavailable for questioning?" She asked.

"He was being processed. Lindsay just finished and she's running some trace and blood she found on him. So it's me and you going in there this time. Think you're up to it?"

"Was I ever not?" She asked jokingly, despite the tenseness of the situation.

--

"For the last time Drew, where is he and what do you want with him?" Danny asked furiously.

"For the last time, I'm _not_ going to tell you, _Detective _Messer"

"Look here, if you want money, we'll give you money. If you wan the charges cleared, you'll walk. Just tell us. Where. Is. He." Stella emphasized her last sentence.

"I. Will. Never. Tell. You." Drew said mockingly. "All I can say is now he has a little bit of company."

A small smile played on Drews lips as he looked at the shell-shocked faces of the two CSI's.

Sending Drew back to the holding cells, Stella and Danny burst into the hallway.

"Danny, get everyone together. We need to find out who else Drew's accomplices have."

--

Twenty minutes later, the team gathered in the evidence examination room.

"Everyone's accounted for Stella, you sure Drew has somebody else now?" Lindsay questioned.

"No, but I'm not taking any chances."

"Well, Drew went for Mac's family last time. What other family does Mac have besides us?" Hawkes wondered.

The CSI's looked at one another in shock as they realized exactly who.

--

Mac couldn't believe it. Laying on the floor in this dingy room, he looked into the face of none other than Reid Garret.

--

**Mwahaha I feel evil.**

**Sorry for the long wait!! First, I missed the mat when I was high jumping, landed on my head and got stuck in the hospital for 2 days under observation. Then, about a week later, I was playing softball (no hit on the head will keep me down!!) I slid into home base, spilt my knee open, then once it began to heal, split it open a couple more times playing soccer, football and ball again. That got me in the hospital for another couple days with a serious infection. But now I am back in good health and updating again!!**


	18. Chapter 18:Superman

Whew

**Whew. Glad to get this chapter done. Now it's a barrel race to the finish!! :P**

--

"Danny, you and Flack go to Reid's dorm. See what you find what you can find. Lindsay, me and you are going over whatever evidence you found on Drew. Hawkes, you go run any case to case networking on any DNA we have. Let's find out as much as we about these accomplices." Stella said urgently.

When the only response she received was a sea of shell-shocked faces, she smacked her hand on the well-lit table for effect.

"Well? Let's move!!"

--

"Mac? Mac? C'mon man!! Stay with me!! Don't die on me now!!" Reid begged, gently shaking him.

Mac slowly opened his weary, blood-shot eyes and looked at Reid.

"I'm not going anywhere soon."

"Except maybe out of this hell-hole." Reid replied, cracking the ghost of a smile.

Before either one could say another word, the door flew open and Tyler Harrison came stomping in, muttering something under his breath. He pulled out a .45 revolver from somewhere within the folds of the long black coat he wore, and pointed it at Reid's head.

"All set for the grand finale boys? Too bad Drew isn't here to see this. He would've been so proud." A sadistic grin spread across the man's face as he pulled the trigger.

Mac watched it all unfold, almost as if in slow motion. He watched Harrison's rather large index finger leisurely slip downward until….

_Click._

The gun had misfired.

Retrying multiple times, Tyler finally gave up, administered a brutal, well-placed kick to Reid's side, and exited the same way he entered.

But Reid didn't notice. He was to busy absorbing the fact that he was alive. He was actually _enjoying_ the exquisite pain in his side.

"Reid? You okay son?" Mac asked.

Reclaiming the wind that had been knocked out of him, Reid breathlessly answered.

"Nothing can keep me down. I'm like Superman."

Mac managed to turn the corners of his mouth us into a sort of smile. But Reid wasn't finished.

"Pain is good. Pain is your friend. Pain let's you know your still alive."

That just made Mac's smile fall.

"You were watching World Trade Center again." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Started it up at my dorm right before these thugs jumped me.

Any words they might have had faded into silence as the men became absorbed in their own thoughts.

--

Flack and Danny waited impatiently outside Reid's dorm room as the supervisor sifted through his jumble of keys before selecting one and fitting it into the otherwise impenetrable lock.

Quickly slipping past the man, the boys immediately noticed the blaring TV set mounted on the desk.

"Does Reid have a roommate or anyone?" Danny called out to the D.A.

"Nope. Just him. From what I know, he doesn't have a girlfriend either."

"Well, I'm not a scientist or a techie or anything, but this movie is about two hours in, and I'm assuming that they don't just start playing by themselves. So Reid can't have been gone for too long." Flack observed.

"Boom" (The D.A. rolled his eyes) "There we go. Got something to triangulate on." Danny said excitedly, his New York accent more noticeable than ever.

Once again, they pushed past the D.A., with Danny on his phone giving instructions to a waiting Adam.

--

"Okay, so. So far we've got….?" Stella asked Lindsay.

"Nothing. He's a neat freak. Not a single hair, fiber or print. Heck, not even his _own._"

Looking over the slew of clothing and numerous apparitions sitting on the table, Stella noticed something.

"Did you check his shoelaces?"

"What? No. I mean, it's not usually protocol." Lindsay flushed.

"No, it's not, but plants or dirt can sometimes get stuck behind the lace, just behind the hole and become impossible to find."

So the girls set to work. Stella grabbed Drew's left shoe and Lindsay grabbed his right.

After 10 minutes of painstakingly tedious work and insufferable silence, results popped up on Lindsay's computer screen.

"Badda-bing, Badda-boom." Lindsay smiled.

"That's it. This plus what the boys found is perfect. We know were he could be." Stella said.

"Now we just need to find out where he _is_."

--

**This one's for you lily moonlight!! I told you I'd get it up soon!!**

******Wow. I am unbelievably glad to get this done. It was written at about 4 in the morning when I couldn't sleep. I've been suffering from writer's block lately. WORST thing ever. NEVER let it happen to you.**

******Oh yeah, and that quote from Reid, about the pain, is from the movie World Trade Center. I thought of the quote to begin with, and then I remembered the movie and it all seemed to fit!!**

******Pleeeeaaaase review!!**


	19. Chapter 19:Glue

**Wow this is a pretty quick update for me!!**

**Well thanks to AIOFanNCRM I've discovered some flaws in the storyline. Thank you AGAIN!!**

**One of the things that AIOFanNCRM pointed out was the way I spelled Reid. So now REID is spelled REED. Just a little warning ******** Enjoy!!**

--

Hours passed since anything of interest happened. Reed was fighting to stay occupied, and Mac was fighting to stay conscious.

"So, what's your favourite band?" Reed asked.

Mac sighed. Either Reed was _really_ bored or just _really_ curious.

He tried to force out a few words, but his throat and mouth were so dry that all that came out was a feeble squeak, which sent him into a violent coughing fit. Reed gently hit his back until it subsided.

Unable to make conversation, the men lapsed into silence again, until, as if Harrison had been watching them, the door was forced open a few inches and a burly arm set two flimsy water bottles just inside the door.

Waiting until no other sounds were heard from outside, Reed got up and scurried over, snatching up the precious liquid and carrying it back over to Mac.

Mac used his one good arm to slowly and painfully push himself into a more convenient sitting position to gulp down most of one of the water bottles.

Reed however, took only a small sip of his and set the rest off to the side.

"The Who." Mac's words were barely audible, but clear.

Reed's face lit up.

"Mine too. Is your favourite song Behind Blue Eyes?"

"No, Baba O'Riley." Mac started wondering why they were having such a strange conversation in their precarious predicament.

The water had awoken him, pulling him farther away from the imminent blackness. Slouching against the wall, all he could basically see was the roof and a bit of the walls. But that was all he needed.

"Reed," Mac said this rather forcefully, which made Reed jump"You see that tiny little hole in the wall over there?" Mac pointed with his good arm. "I need you to go over there and see what's through it."

Mac hadn't even finished before Reed rose again, stood on his toes and squinted through the little hole.

"I don't know." Reed reported, "I think I can see a lamp post, or maybe it's a stoplight…"

As Reed struggled to clarify what he could see, Mac noticed something in a small pool of his own blood a few feet away.

Stretching as far as he could (which wasn't very far) Mac managed to grasp the lump with his fingertips and drag it towards himself.

"You had your phone with you the entire time?!" Reed was again startled by Mac's words and jumped.

"What?! Well, I never bothered checking…I mean….I was so worried about you…I just assumed…" The shock on the boy's face proved his innocence to Mac.

_Honestly, that kid can be so ditzy sometimes._

The pain that had been present as a dull throb seemed to evaporate from Mac's body as he realized they had a sliver of hope.

Reed had figured had figured out what he saw outside and reported it to Mac, which only helped them more. But when he was about to punch in Stella's number, he noticed that he didn't have any service bars. No good for a call. But that didn't stop him as he began to furiously press buttons.

--

Stella and Lindsay were rushing to the A/V lab when Danny and Flack suddenly joined them. The two pairs exchanged information before interrupting a busy Adam.

"So I got a radius with the timeline that you boys gave me, but what did you say you girls had?" Adam said, so frenzied it was hard to understand.

"Within this radius, check for any glue factories that use hexyl glycol in their products." Lindsay told him.

"_Glue_ factories?"

"We found it on his shoelaces." Stella raised her eyebrows at him and he set to work.

After a few minutes of tense silence, besides the clicking of Adam's keyboard, three different addresses popped up: 3298 Ocean Avenue, 8754 65th Street, and 6285 Linden Boulevard.

The CSI's sat in silence, trying to figure out a way to narrow the search, when Stella's phone beeped loudly.

She flipped it open, rather angry for being disturbed, until she saw who the new test message was from.

_New Message From: Reed Garret_

_8754 65__th__ Street_

--

**Whew. I'm finally over the writer's block. Thank goodness. I'm not sure if the ending made much sense though. I thought I'd make this chapter more about Mac and Reed because...well...I just felt like it!! Thanks to the following for reviewing:**

**Sora Livana, AIOFanNCRM (by the way, I have watch The Thing About Heroes. Multiple times. I just screwed up on the plot lol), and lily moonlight (thanks for the tip about the chocolate-it really works!! lol)**

**TBC…**


	20. Chapter 20:Interesting Show?

**Sorry for the delay!! I spilled juice on my keyboard so the keys stuck and I had to get a new one, plus I made a new story ****Veritas****. I also just created a new Miami story ****Invidia.**** Check 'em out!!**

--

Hours passed. Tyler had either left them or just didn't give a damn anymore. Mac couldn't decide. Stuck in his immobile, awkward position on the floor, he had watched Reed check his phone every thirty seconds for what felt like half his life. It had been almost two and a half hours since they last heard from Stella, and Reed's battery was slowly dying. The little blinking icon on the screen was getting on the younger man's nerves, and he resisted the temptation to chuck it against the wall.

Suddenly, a screech of rubber tires on wet cement was heard outside, and Reed rushed once again to the crack in the wall. Instead of seeing the joyous flash of blue and red police lights, what Reed saw made him pale.

--

Eternity. That's what the last four hours had felt like to Stella. She had been warned against contacting Reed and Mac again, but her thumb was itching to push those little buttons on her phones keypad again. What was taking that SWAT team so long?

"Stell?" Flack asked for what felt like the thousandth time.

Stella jumped. It took her a second to realize that she had been staring aimlessly at a blank white wall, probably for hours.

"You gonna come with us?" Flack asked. "At least change the channel. This isn't a very interesting show."

Stella playfully slapped Flack's shoulder. The tension had eased considerably between the members of the team in the last few hours.

And for the 3rd time in the last two days, Stella, Danny, Flack, and the SWAT team went in search of their fallen leader.

--

"Well, well, well." Antonio Riez said, fiddling with a rather menacing .35 in his hand. "Haven't seen you boys in a while. Too bad. I had to take care of some business. But I hear that Tyler had a little fun with you, didn't he Mac?"

All Mac could do was narrow his eyes at the other man. Both he and Reed were gagged with their hands tied behind their backs. But even through the gag, Reed could see the pain on Mac's face as the rather tight bonds held his broken arm in a fixed position. It didn't help the pain when Riez stepped on the bullet wound in Mac's leg with his steel-toed boot. The gag muffled Mac's cry of pain considerably, but it was still pretty loud, echoing in the empty room.

After a few seconds of hurried speech in some foreign language, probably Spanish, between Riez and the also-present Joel Gulansky, the captives were forced upwards and out the door. Mac, unable to walk properly, had to hop along on one leg. They were brought outside and into a waiting, large black van.

Just as Riez was about to start the engine, fifteen marked police cars, lights flashing and sirens wailing, pulled up onto the curb, blocking the van's path.

--

**Again, sorry about the delay. This chapter is kind of short. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway!!**


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